302 – Side Story – Demon Dragon (2)
Side Story – Demon Dragon (2)
‘Where am I?’
The moment I first opened my eyes. It had no choice but to think so.
I was asleep for such a long time. So much so that I almost lost all of my memories right before I fell asleep. Why did you fall asleep here and why did you wake up? You don’t even know that.
‘I’m hungry.’
The first thought that came to mind was intense hunger.
Because of this, as soon as it was able to move its body, it immediately spread its large wings. It raised its face to a height taller than a giant tree, spread its long, large wings covered in a film, and flew into the sky at once.
Unlike the Demon World, the continent was a green land overflowing with life and mana. It was a natural fact that the winners of the project had created the land by unifying the land they had worked hard to cultivate.
Since it is such a land, it is only natural that whatever is spread out is its food.
‘I can feel the mana.’
For the demon dragon, meal did not simply mean meat. Something filled with thick mana. All of that was food for the demon dragon.
That was the reason why I did not pay attention even though various animals and plants were living in the forest that opened my eyes.
Instead, more intense, i.E. More delicious, food was coming here now.
‘Ship?’
Hidden among the clouds, it looked down at the airship approaching here.
The medium-sized airship is a product of the magic revolution led by Orca. It was once used as a military ship, but now that the Great War is over, the airship is the main force of the logistics revolution along with the magic train, traveling through the sky and delivering supplies and people to all directions. It was playing a transport role.
“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“Oh, no, something incredibly large was caught by detection magic. “It was to the point where the detection magic was broken.”
On the deck of the airship, there were wizards and other people who had fallen to the floor. People laughed as if it was absurd at the words of the wizard who fell to the floor while performing magic on his own.
“What on earth is there? “There’s nothing, right?”
Contrary to the words of the wizard who fell and screamed, the people around him shrugged their shoulders while looking at the empty blue sky.
As they say, there is only blue sky around. The huge thing the wizard was talking about was nowhere to be seen.
“…Huh?”
But at that moment. They reflexively looked up at the sky at the sight of the airship that had suddenly begun to shade.
What was attacking them was a black-scaled monster with a body bigger than the airship, with its red mouth wide open.
‘Something is strange.’
The demon dragon destroyed and swallowed an airship, including the people, objects, and magic stones inside, and looked around.
So many things have changed from the times I knew. The texture of mana and the scenery felt everywhere were the same.
‘I’m hungry.’
The stomach that had been starving for a long time did not disappear just because it had eaten one airship. Naturally, it spread its wings and flew to the place where the most mana was felt in this area.
It was a small city in the Republic of Laria where people lived together.
This small town, which had luckily escaped the threat of the Great War, faced a disaster perhaps even greater.
All it needs now is food. No matter what they say or how they react when they see them, they just eat it up.
For the Demon Dragon, mana is something more than blood or soul. Only with mana can I fully think and exist, so only by satisfying this extreme hunger could I solve other issues.
“Everyone evacuate!”
“I didn’t know it would be used like this, but…Prepare the super heavy artillery!”
Citizens of the city were frightened and fled. Meanwhile, the defenders brought out a secret weapon. A huge cannon that was installed to intercept imperial airships, but was never used in the end.
I aimed it at the giant dragon that appeared in the sky.
‘What is that?’
It questioned the thing that felt no mana. He didn’t understand why they didn’t run away and pointed something like that at him.
“Shoot!”
Meanwhile, the super heavy guns that had completed their heat dissipation spewed fire all at once and fired large shells at incredible speeds. One or two of the shells that tore through the air hit it squarely on the head and chest.
“…”
“No, that’s ridiculous.”
But even the incredibly powerful cannonball only scratched the rough volcanic rock-like scales.
It was squinting at the iron ball hitting its body, but the blow it received was no more than an adult man being hit by a small pebble.
‘Disappear.’
Then, as if it was his turn, he opened his mouth wide and blew out the hot, huge breath boiling inside.
The power of a pureblood dragon that no cannon can imitate. The breath of death melted and destroyed not only the defenders who had gathered with desperate determination, but also a significant part of the city, including buildings and land.
[Ah, it’s still not enough]
The demon dragon descended from the sky as a disaster and only after devouring the entire city that was shattered with a single blow did he regain his sight.
Still, it wasn’t enough. It had a dragon heart that could absorb and store mana like a black hole, and soared into the sky once again to absorb more mana.
The target this time was another city in the nearby Laria Republic.
***
“Can a group of heroes stop such a strong being?”
It is absurd to hear the testimony. It may have been exaggerated as it was a rumor, but based on what I heard, it was a strength comparable to that of Orca, who ran away with a magic sword.
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Let alone why those beings disappeared and why the user who managed them was defeated, I had doubts about whether we could really deal with that monster now.
“According to tradition, the dragon species is a perfect creature that is close to perfection, but even so, it is not without weaknesses. In particular, the dragon that has awakened from its long seal will not have fully recovered its power yet, so it must be slain before it does so.”
Lesai, the dwarf he met after leaving Eden with Serenian, made a strong claim with a very nervous expression.
I flinched as if it was surprising that I, a human, was next to Serenian, but now wasn’t the time to question such things.
“The king is unable to recover since he was seriously injured in a battle with Orca the previous day, so he cannot come forward in person. Instead, we will provide as much support as possible.”
The Dwarven Kingdom actively recruited heroes. They said they would provide as much support as possible, so let’s hunt down the dragon before it destroys more of the world.
It wasn’t wrong. If the monster that refuses to talk and runs rampant is not stopped in time, it will grow into a disaster comparable to that of the Orca.
“Wouldn’t it be dangerous?”
“It’s a shame that conversation doesn’t work, but since we’ve come this far, let’s at least give it a try.”
They said polyps are intelligent, but why can’t they communicate with each other? Serenian was worried, but I was intrigued. Maybe you can hear a story from a long time ago, or maybe it’s an issue that needs to be resolved right away.
“Is there any operation?”
“Hmm, I succeeded in finding some rules by analyzing his behavior. Based on that, it became possible to predict where the monster searching for food would attack. “We will try to attack there the best we can.”
Resai cleared his throat at my words and assured me that he had already made all the preparations to slay the dragon. What is needed is a means to deal damage to the dragon while dealing with it, that is, heroes.
After listening to it, it seemed like a reasonable strategy.
All members of the Alliance, who recognized that the appearance of the Demon Dragon was a problem for the entire continent, agreed to this operation, so there will be no shortage of power.
“What will you do if conversation becomes possible?”
“If you can convince me, I should try it. “He may be a huge dragon, but if we can bring him to Eden, we can reduce the damage.”
In response to Serenian’s words, I did not bother to hide my thoughts and revealed them. After seeing how demons adapt well to flower pots, I started thinking about using them actively.
‘It’s a good thing I took annual leave.’
I chuckled as I boarded the airship that would take Serenian to the operational area. I thought it would take more than a few days, so I said I would take a break for the holidays.
I didn’t really have to worry about financial issues, so I thought about quitting my job, but put it off.
I didn’t intend to repeat the same mistakes as the past. This is because I was faced with the fact that I had to avoid being deeply buried in order to have healthy encounters and proper interactions, and I was convinced that the best way to prevent that was to create a reason in the real world.
“A dragon. Actually, I still can’t believe it.”
“Could the seal buried in a place unknown to anyone have been naturally released? “I don’t think so.”
Seeing the sparkling eyes of Pia, who came with me, I guessed the source of the dragon.
It was a situation that suddenly occurred when the great war caused by Orca was barely coming to an end. The timing is too perfect to be a coincidence.
What will happen if we cannot properly handle this situation? This world, which has not yet been resolved, will fall into chaos again, and if it falls into chaos, only those who love it will like it.
“Could this be an intentional incident? Is that possible?”
“I don’t know that…”
“Wait a minute, something is coming this way.”
But the moment I was about to respond to Serenian’s words, who were shaking their heads as if they were making no sense. As if Pia sensed something, she opened her eyes wide and shouted urgently.